Broken bones, fractures and sprains in the human body often require that a patient spend recuperative time learning to be ambulatory. In many cases, a patient must be taught how to walk, climb and descend steps, and generally to maneuver successfully on mechanical supports, or simply to learn to walk by practice on a treadmill-type device or with the help of another person. Therefore, physical therapists must be trained in the use of methods of teaching ambulation to patients and in the methods of avoiding falls or accidents by patients during this training period.
Therapists have had few assistive apparati to use during periods of patient ambulatory training. The apparatus most utilized is a gait belt which is placed around the waist of a patient. A gait belt usually has two or three handles attached to its back and side sections. If a patient begins to fall during a physical therapy training session, the therapist grasps a handle on the gait belt, thereby hoping to prevent the fall entirely or to control the fall so that the patient does not suffer injury. The patient then is assisted to regain a correct position to continue practicing ambulatory patterns.
At best the use of the handles on a gait belt can be clumsy and ineffective if both patient and therapist are caught in an off-centered position. The therapist must maintain a strong stride position for the balance of both himself and his wobbly patient. Still, the therapist has no way to restrain the upper body of a patient in a falling situation except to grasp at the patient's shoulder in an attempt to slow the rate of falling. If the therapist is unsuccessful, the patient could suffer broken bones or additional bruises.
What is needed is an apparatus that would provide more control for a physical therapist teaching ambulation to a patient. It would be desirable for such an apparatus to be lightweight and comfortable for a patient to wear, sturdy enough to control the weight of a falling adult, and relatively inexpensive to purchase. It would also be desirable for the apparatus to provide a number of handles at key points which a physical therapist could quickly grasp to restrain a falling patient.